Preliminary Auror Flaming Phoenix
by A. Lee
Summary: DISCONTINUED When her friends abandon her, Hermione chooses to become a Pre-Auror ... and learns the risks it brings. In the process of revision
1. The Beginning

This fanfiction will focus almost solely upon Hermione, because I choose to have it so. Although Harry and Ron are not evil, precisely, they are irrational, as I've always imagined them to be. And yes, Draco Malfoy does play a role. If you intensely dislike any of the aforementioned characters and wish that he/she be disemboweled, I suggest you write your own fanfiction, as that will certainly not be taking place in mine.  
  
Additional note of 11/26/2003: I am almost done revising this first chapter, so I thought I might as well put up this notice. This is revised. It has been OotP-ified, as well as improved. There are several differences. I believe that there are six chapters up already on ff.net. These six will only be revised if they have a note at the time mentioning this. If they do not, then they follow a different storyline, and will be confusing. Thank you for your time.  
  
Hermione was not happy. She was actually quite a passive girl, and rarely found herself upset. She was only truly upset when she felt lonely or depressed or when her friends abandoned her or when she saw injustice or when she received a mark she thought she did not deserve . and so on. However, it was barely a month into the first term of Sixth Year, and already she found herself unhappier than she had ever been in her entire life, and that included the entire stint in Third Year when Harry and Ron wouldn't talk to her, first because of the "Firebolt thing", and then because of the "Pettigrew thing".  
It was bad enough that Voldemort was on the loose. Now that everyone except the densest had accepted his return, school had almost become a thing of terror. Students crept around hallways in massive groups, darting glances right and left, as if that would help them if Death Eaters attacked. Slytherins were now hated more viciously than ever, which was a shame, Hermione reflected, as if there were any Slytherins neutral or against the Muggle-killings, there wouldn't be any left once Hogwarts students were finished convicting them of mass-murder.  
Half of the teachers were gone, most likely on some special mission or other. Professor Snape, Hagrid, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Vector no longer taught, and Dumbledore was seldom seen. No effort had been made to replace these teachers, and the Daily Prophet (which was clearly just another source of propaganda) reported on rumors galore of dead professors and tortured professors and defected professors, seemingly intent on destroying the public's faith in Hogwarts, and most importantly, Dumbledore.  
Professor McGonagall and Sprout briskly bustled throughout the school, keeping order, if somewhat brusquely. Although both were nowhere near the state of panic and near-nervous-breakdown Madam Pomfrey existed in, neither did either maintain a convincing air of serenity. As it was, only the unruffled and late Professor Binns seemed unaware of the events taking place in the world around him, most likely to remain at Hogwarts droning on about Goblin Rebellions until the end of time and beyond.  
Even her friends had changed. Harry had grown taller, and was more wiry than skinny. His dark black hair was still as messy as always, but now, the girls in her dorm termed his rumpled hair as "sexy". Ron had grown taller still, now towering above her by almost a full head, and his flaming red hair had darkened into a very charming auburn. He was trailing broken hearts as well.  
And then, disaster struck. Two weeks into the year, Harry and Ron had declared their love (or crushes, depending on your point of view) for her simultaneously. Furious at each other, they had decided (who knows why) to have a wizard's duel, and ended up getting into a horrendous amount of trouble. Because she was a prefect, Hermione had been obliged to report their duel, and because she was their friend, she had done it so they wouldn't hurt each other.  
They hadn't seen it her way, of course, and had blown up at her. They had been furious, and had expressed their displeasure very vocally. They hadn't even apologized afterwards. Harry and Ron were now friends with each other again, but neither deigned to speak to Hermione. As it was, Hermione was having a very lonely Sixth Year.  
But that all changed very soon.  
Hermione was once again studiously spending her time in the now more chaotic library when Professor McGonagall approached, shaking her head. "Miss Granger, Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak to you." Her tone said a lot about what she thought of Dumbledore's "wishing to speak with her" and this surprised Hermione. She was also startled by the fact that Dumbledore was actually at Hogwarts for once, not off battling Voldemort in some morbid section of the world, and actually wanted to see her.  
Hermione did not express her surprise to the Head of Gryffindor, of course. Instead, she obediently stood up and gathered her things, following Professor McGonagall through a never-before-traveled set of winding staircases and trick hallways. Needless to say, she was a bit startled when what appeared to be a door that opened into nothingness actually opened into an ornate hallway, which promptly revealed itself to be quite normal as soon as McGonagall tapped it with her wand three times. They finally arrived in front of a gargoyle that was the twin of the one Harry had described as the Professor's, but not in the same surroundings.  
"Sub rosa," the Professor said in a queer tone that seemed to reverberate through the hallway yet not travel any farther beyond a certain sphere. Hermione supposed that it was part of the password that a Professor at Hogwarts had to say the password and had to order it as a Professor.  
The gargoyle swung open, and Hermione followed Professor McGonagall inside. She had the sense not to ask the now-irritable Professor why they were traveling through what was apparently a back door.  
They entered a round room which might have been the Headmaster's office but the walls were bare and Hermione herself had never paid the Headmaster a visit in his office. Professor Dumbledore was sitting at an empty desk, however, although the portraits Hermione had heard habited the Headmaster's Room were nowhere to be seen.  
"Ah, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "Please be seated."  
Professor McGonagall excused herself from the room almost immediately.  
"You wished to speak with me, Professor?" Hermione asked politely.  
Professor Dumbledore frowned. "Recently, there have been rifts between this school and the Ministry of Magic."  
Hermione nodded slowly. What was he getting at? The "rifts" were common knowledge. Fudge, the fool that he was, had finally accepted Voldemort's return, but still seemed fixed on the belief that Dumbledore wanted to be Minister of Magic.  
"So the school has decided to take matters into its own hands," Professor Dumbledore said. "Recently, we have been searching among the students for ones who would be willing to devote all of their time to defeating Lord Voldemort."  
"Yes?" Hermione asked.  
"Would you like to become a Preliminary Auror?"  
"A what?" Hermione choked.  
"I assume you have heard of the Order of the Mystics?" Dumbledore asked patiently.  
"Yes," Hermione said promptly. "Back in the 17th Century, when a number of witches and wizards began to turn to the dark side, and the Ministry became corrupt, a number of wizards and witches got together and formed the Order of the Mystics, whose purpose was to right wrongs. Several decades after the founding of the Order, it split off into the Order of the Phoenix, the Order of the Unicorn, and later, the Order of Merlin. The Order of the Unicorn died out in the nineteenth century. The Order of Merlin has become an entirely bureaucratic award given to those who donate large amounts of money to the Ministry. The Order of the Phoenix currently fights Y- Voldemort," she recited, word-for-word from the textbook she had read it from.  
"The Order of the Unicorn had a very useful technique in which they employed children, and trained the children as Preliminary members, doing Order work in their spare time. This way, by the time they reached their majority, they were prepared for the world out there. I have seen fit to reestablish this practice, but for now, I am only choosing four students who I think capable of handling this responsibility and their schoolwork, as well as four students I think capable of being decoys and not dying as a trial.  
"The student Preliminary Aurors will be the ones I will eventually rely on to investigate any occurrences within Hogwarts walls, once they are trained," Professor Dumbledore explained. "I am now asking you if you feel that you can successfully balance schoolwork and this responsibility, if you are willing to become a Preliminary Auror lab rat, of sorts. You do understand that you will be forced to give up your friendship, to violate other people's rights, and to go against your conscience in order to fulfill your missions?" Dumbledore was frank, but his words were kindly.  
Hermione hesitated. She really, truly wanted to do something glorious and wonderful and achieve recognition-that was her Gryffindor side speaking. In her heart, she knew that this was an incredibly important decision to make, and she should not be hasty in the making. But something . something within her compelled her to open her mouth and say the word, "Yes," thus sealing her fate for ever.  
"Wonderful," Dumbledore said merrily. "Lemon drop?"  
  
~*~  
There are three other Preliminaries and four decoys. None of their identities will be revealed to you. If you choose to, you may try to figure them out, but you are advised not to. When encountering danger, you must keep your cool. When caught, you must not speak. Unforgivable curses may be used on you, but you must resist against them. Training will be harsh, but you are expected not to give up. You will be expected to think only for the Order, and saving the world must come before your personal niceties. You will be expected to perform impossible tasks, but you must not fail to try. The world is depending on you, Hermione Granger, and you must not let her down. The words pounded over and over through Hermione's head, part of the mantra she recited every day before Preliminary Auror Training, or PAT. Thankfully, PAT was over, but she could not get the mantra out of her head. It whispered in her dreams and distracted her from her schoolwork.  
Unable to fall asleep, Hermione sat up and began to stretch out her worn-out muscles. It's the middle of the night, she scolded herself. If she were smart, she would start on the meditation techniques and lull herself back to sleep. Instead, she clutched her covers with something akin to hesitation. Her stirring upset Crookshanks, who lazily stretched, and strode over to Parvati's bed, settling the Indians girl's soft (and immobile) covers.  
Hermione smiled. No matter how much Ron disliked Crookshanks, the girls in her room adored the sweet cat, and fed him all the time. Now that she was distracted from the increasing concerns that came with being a Pre- Auror (and officially "field duty" hadn't even begun yet), she began to reflect on her large orange cat. He was quite intelligent, and she wouldn't be surprised if he were at least part Kneazle. Her worry was if he was an Animagus (or something of the like), which was a silly worry, she knew. Yet there was always that lingering doubt .  
Normally, cats hated dogs, yet Crookshanks had befriended Sirius. Not only that, he had helped the Animagus in many ways, and had even gone so far as to attack Scabbers, the fake rat. It was almost as if he could sense or recognize the friendliness and hostility of transformed Animagi. It was, she continually convinced herself, just a part of that suspected Kneazle blood, but yet .  
This led to a more serious issue, in Hermione's teenage opinion. If Crookshanks happened to be an Animagus, he was definitely a male; she didn't think that you could change your gender in the Animagus transformation, but she wasn't sure. Hermione made a note to ask Professor McGonagall that next time they met. She had begun shooing Crookshanks out when she changed anyways, although that might have been due to the fact that Crookshanks enjoyed munching bloody mice and getting it all over her clothes.  
Now successfully distracted, Hermione went back to sleep.  
There are three other Preliminaries and four decoys. None of their identities will be revealed to you.  
  
~*~  
You will know the other Pre-Aurors as Black Dragon, Fairy Elf, and Lone Unicorn. You, yourself, will be known as the Flaming Phoenix . Fail us not, Flaming Phoenix, for you time to prove yourself has come.  
  
~*~  
Hermione strode over to Madam Hooch. The Quidditch Instructor had just finished teaching a new batch of First-Years how to fly (and had taken off the Undetecting Spells that would allow them to escape the notice of Death Eaters while on Hogwarts grounds).  
"Yes?" Madam Hooch asked. Although Hermione had eventually mastered the skill of flying, it had taken a while. Madam Hooch knew that Hermione occasionally practiced flying by flying around the field. Unlike Ron or Harry, flying was not a skill came naturally to her. Instead, it was one that required practice.  
"I hear that the position of Quidditch Advisor is open," Hermione said tentatively. The position of Quidditch Advisor was one that the Headmaster had invented recently, and mainly involved moral support, and most importantly, checking the field before a game for sabotage. With the entire VWII going on, it was always better to be safe than sorry.  
Madam Hooch looked at Hermione Granger with some appraisal, and nodded. "You will need to contact the new captain-who hasn't been decided yet because of the delay in the beginning of the Quidditch matches due to current conditions. You will have to discuss the extent of your errands with the entire team."  
Hermione nodded firmly. Of the four Preliminary Aurors, she was the one assigned to keep a watch on the Quidditch matches which would start soon. The others had their own tasks, of which she was not supposed to know for security reasons. Dumbledore had explained that as time went on, they would partner up in missions, and eventually would not have to keep up the disguise between themselves, but until then, they were required at all times to wear a glamour and don a mask for double security.  
This was her first official task, and she would not mess it up.  
  
~*~  
Hermione sighed and got on her Nimbus 2000 (which although was by a new an older model, was still quite expensive-but covered for in school expense). She would do this. After all, PAT had required flying training, and it had taken her a while, but she had eventually mastered it.  
She hovered slightly on her broom, frowning. This game was soon, so she would have to research a couple of extra tracking charms, surveillance charms, wards, and the like just in case. As well as some emergency spells. Voldemort's need to empower Harry, emasculate Harry, overpower Harry, convert Harry, or whatever had been his purpose before was gone. Instead, he simply wanted Harry dead. A Quidditch match was a perfect opening. Not if she had her way.  
As she gently steered her broomstick, she calmed her nerves. She was the first one there, not surprisingly, and she had half-an-hour before Training would start. If she could calm her nerves down, she would be good at this. As she soared around, she began to ease into a more comfortable position, so as t keep her rear end from going numb. She decided against going upside-down, (a trick she had been taught-but one which always seemed to end in her throwing up) and just began flying in and out through the holes where the Quaffle was scored. Soon, she found herself relaxing into the broom, and breathed a sigh of relief. Once she got used to the movement, she was less likely to fall off of it.  
After five more minutes of blessed isolation, however, Harry and Ron approached the field, struggling with the equipment.  
"Gryffindor signed up for the field," Ron yelled.  
"So get off!" Harry called.  
Hermione frowned. They definitely were testier and more irritable than before. She dipped her broomstick handle down and halted in front of them still hovering over the ground, with her feet a foot above it.  
"I was still in Gryffindor last time I checked," she said frostily. She made a point to stare behind them, not at them. She could not bear it to look in their eyes and see enmity.  
Harry and Ron seemed genuinely startled, and would Hermione have looked at them, she would have seen a hint of wistfulness in their faces. "What are you doing here?" Harry asked, wincing as soon as the tactless words left his mouth.  
"I'm your new Quidditch Advisor," she said primly, turning away so as not to let them see her trembling lip.  
"Oh?" Ron asked, startled.  
Hermione did not wait for any more, before flying up to leave. "And you don't need to worry. It's been finalized by Madam Hooch already," she called behind her back.  
As soon as everybody arrived, practice began. As Quidditch Advisor, Hermione did not actively participate, but she circled the field several times, setting up wards to prevent being seen by either Death Eaters or spying rival teams, the second a request from Ron (politely worded, at least).  
She paused to talk to Ginny occasionally, even nodding to some of the younger Gryffindors, but she pointedly ignored Ron and Harry. If occasionally it seemed that they were not talking to her, it was most likely because they were so involved with their Quidditch. Both were avidly explaining strategy after strategy, trying to employ tactic after tactic. They ruthlessly ordered Chasers to practice complicated passes and moves over and over again, trying to get shots past Ron. Beaters were to practice knocking Bludgers at each other, trying to find new and more innovative ways to block the Bludgers.  
Hermione, wither rudimentary knowledge of Quidditch, found it quite fascinating. All too soon, practice was over, she dismantled the wards. She headed back inside, preparing to send Dumbledore an "all-safe" message.  
  
~*~  
Hermione hastily finished dismantling the wards from yet another practice, watching as Ravenclaws began to stream onto the field. Ducking behind bleachers and ready to head back inside the school, she realized too late that her bag was still out. Hesitating, she held out her hand, and spoke, "Accio Bag." The bag flew into her hand in a matter of seconds, having zipped among the Ravenclaws, who dodged it without a second thought, most likely assuming that some Gryffindor was Summoning it from inside. After another hesitation, Hermione closed her eyes, and disappeared with a quiet pop.  
Padma Patil, who had been looking down from the bleachers above, was unnerved. Wandless magic was impossible, wasn't it? And did not Hogwarts, A History state that it was impossible to Apparate or Disapparate from school grounds?  
  
~*~  
The Halloween Ball would take place in two weeks, and that in itself warranted much preparation, especially for the first public meeting of the Preliminary Aurors. Before then, there was a game which she had to attend, as Quidditch Advisor. Against Ravenclaw. She sighed. And she had a huge test in Transfiguration the day after Halloween, and a big quiz in Herbology the day before All Hallow's Eve.  
Hermione was frustrated. She would never continue her high scores if she had Quidditch and the Halloween Ball to attend. But it wasn't like she could quit either. She had agreed to take this mission, and she would not refrain from completing it for any reason.  
She plopped down on her bed and reached for her handy-dandy bubble wrap. Although people looked at her strangely when she mentioned it, popping bubble wrap was a very useful meditation technique for her. It calmed her down, but as a result, she often went through many sheets of bubble wrap. Luckily, she had managed to come up with a spell that continually "fixed" the popped bubbles, so she had an everlasting sheet of bubble wrap. Very useful when stressed. As her fingers went to work and her mind began to blank out, she smiled blissfully, and her thoughts began to organize themselves. The most important thing to do was to prepare for the game. And then, Herbology, then prepare for the Halloween Ball, and then Transfiguration. Of course, she would study for Herbology and Transfiguration at the same time, and she would probably have to give up some of her lunchtime to go over some of the more complex theorems of Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, but it was manageable.  
  
~*~  
Hermione was walking the perimeter of the field with Morag MacDougal*, Ravenclaw Quidditch Advisor, and trading some useful wards and techniques. Morag was also very studious, and Hermione found that Morag was a pleasant enough companion, if a bit stilted in speech.  
By the time she and Morag had finished setting up defenses against a stray blast from the War Outside (for that was what one always referred to it as, never contemplating for a second that it might come inside the walls of Hogwarts-even Death Eater sent their children to Hogwarts because they believed it to be safe!) time had started for the game to begin. Hermione leaned back and wiped some of the perspiration off of her face. She gazed the Quidditch field with some trepidation as the members of Gryffindor team began to file on. Sighing, she got up and walked over to her teammates, briefing them on some minor changes in the wards and what side-effects they would have. For one thing, there was no wind inside a certain perimeter inside the field, something that might have unnerved them if she did not tell them. She also mentioned the few spells that would make the wards glow briefly if they flew outside the boundary of the field, which may or may not help or hinder them. The glow was mainly an advance last-minute warning for debris and the like flying in.  
Finally, she stepped back, and watched as the game began.  
  
To be continued .  
  
*I'm too lazy to look up whether Morag is a he or a she, a Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin, and I really don't care right now. Anyone who wishes to enlighten me is welcome to do so in an email (stating their source, of course, preferably quoting pages of the American Edition of the book) or a review. Of websites, The Harry Potter Lexicon is the only source I might believe. As of now, Morag is genderless. Like Blaise Zabini. 


	2. The Grindylow

Story 13 – Ch. 2  
  
Hermione Granger pushed back a strand of her bushy hair and bit her lip. Tonight was the night of the Halloween Ball. It would also be the first time that the four Preliminaries would meet face-to-face.  
  
They would each wear something special … to represent themselves. This did not in any way mean that she would dress as a phoenix. In fact, it was just the opposite. As the Flaming Phoenix, her decoy would dress as much like a phoenix as possible. She, on the other hand, would wear the exact opposite of a phoenix … an ice sprite.  
  
It wasn't like ice sprites were real. They were just figments of human imaginations. But the idea was sound enough.  
  
Hermione eyed herself once more in the mirror. Her brown hair had been magically dyed with and tastefully streaked ice blue. There were not magic spells that turned her eyes the shade of ice blue she wanted, but a simple letter to her parents rewarded her with contact lenses that were the exact shade she wanted.  
  
She wore ice blue robes that were decorated with small icicles. She looked into the mirror. A simple spell on her wand trailed icicles wherever she wished. Her eyebrows were adorned with icicles, and her eyelashes would have been, too, but she got rid of those after her eyes refused to open and close with icicles dangling from there.  
  
She smiled, and examined her perfectly manicured pale blue fingernails. Her hand reached up to her throat. She smiled. Despite the fact that she was an ~ice~ sprite, as the Flaming Phoenix, she was required to wear a unique trinket to signal the others who she was. She had a necklace made with plain black string with a vial hanging from it. In the vial, was one of the most important and expensive ingredients in the world …the everlasting phoenix flame.  
  
She gulped, and closed her eyes. This would be the first time she would actually ~meet~ the other Pre-Aurors. She closed her eyes and remembered.  
  
~The Lone Unicorn shall be disguised as a black centaur. She shall have, with her, a unicorn's horn disguised as a cornucopia. The Black Dragon shall be disguised as a grindylow. He shall have, with him, a pair of dragon fangs, sported on a necklace he shall be wearing. The Fairy Elf shall be disguised as babbling demon pixie, and part of her disguise will be the gauzy fairy wings that shall be sprouting from her back.~  
  
Harry and Ron were talking. They weren't talking about any old thing… they were talking about the best way to get into Hermione's good graces again. It wasn't that they believed they were in her bad graces because of her whim. No, the thing was, Hermione had been so sad lately … she had been completely avoiding them! How were they supposed to properly apologize to her if they never got a chance to talk to her?  
  
After Angelina's epidemic of flu, Quidditch matches had been canceled (to the chagrin of Fred and George, who complained that each time Gryffindor had the perfect team and was about to win, they would either their star player or matches would be canceled.) Professor Dumbledore had promised, however, that Quidditch games would resume soon. So Harry and Ron haven't seen Hermione around at all.  
  
Now in Fifth Year, she had absolutely no classes with them. Even in the required classes, she was advanced, so she never saw them. If you could call them classes. With half the teachers dead or gone to fight Voldemort, most of the time, students goofed off or did homework from other classes. As Ron had pointed out when trying to cheer up Fred and George, at least Gryffindor had one game (victorious) under its belt, considering the fact that they were lucky to be playing at all with Voldemort loose.  
  
Of course, this didn't exactly have the desired effect. They had launched into depression again, worried about whether Dumbledore would permanently stop Quidditch because of the crisis going on outside. In the end, Ron had given up.  
  
Anyways, Harry was just convincing Ron that sneaking into the Girls' Dormitories to apologize to Hermione was not the best thing to do, when his attention was caught by a group of people. Curious, he nudged Ron, who turned around.  
  
Out on the dance floor, were four gaudily dressed people. One had lots of red and yellow on, looking to Harry like a somewhat misshapen phoenix. "It" was actually a guy who was stumbling around, trying to fall from the weight of his costume. Another one, a girl this time, was dressed in a large black outfit.  
  
"What's she supposed to be?" Ron asked.  
  
"Who?" Harry asked. "Her? I think she's supposed to be a dragon."  
  
A girl was dressed as something white with a horn on her head. She looked like a very upset and disheveled unicorn. The last boy looked somewhat silly dressed like a chubby fairy, reminding Harry oddly of the fairy godmother in a Disney movie the Dursleys had watched one night when Dudley had brought his girlfriend over. His girlfriend hadn't been impressed by Cinderella or his taking up all of the couch, and had dumped him the next day.  
  
"But that's not who I'm talking about," Harry said, brushing it aside. He pointed to a dark table in a far corner. They crept over, keeping out of the way of the fairy lights, trying to see who they were.  
  
There was a girl dressed as an ice sprite, a boy dressed as a grindylow, a girl dressed as a centaur, and a girl dressed as a demon pixie. They were speaking in low tones, and could not be heard.  
  
"Notice something strange about them?" Ron noted curiously.  
  
"What?" Harry asked.  
  
"The ice sprite has a vial of expensive phoenix flame," Ron pointed out.  
  
"…"  
  
Hearing no response from Harry, Ron groaned. "Sorry. Forgot you came from a Muggle family. Anyways, phoenixes and ice sprites are enemies."  
  
"Weird," Harry said.  
  
"And the grindylow has a thing of dragon scales."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Ugh. Do I have to tell you everything? Grindylows and dragon scales … are opposites. They live on different terrain, so they don't meet, but grindylows are generally associated with water, and dragons with fire."  
  
"Weird."  
  
"And that demon pixie has wings!"  
  
"Umm…"  
  
"Demon pixies and fairies are basically two clans. If you put them together, they'll kill each other. Demon pixies are smarter and stronger, but fairies have wings! A demon pixie would never have wings!"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"And that centaur has a unicorn horn instead of a cornucopia. First of all, centaurs don't have cornucopias. Telescopes, maybe, but not cornucopias. Second of all, centaurs and unicorns-"  
  
"I know, I know," Harry interrupted. "They have an aversion for each other. So … is there a reason for this, or are these just four Muggles kids who don't pay attention in class?"  
  
"Let's ask them and see," Ron said, standing up, effectively ending the conversation.  
  
Four pairs of eyes stared at Ron and Harry. Finally, the grindylow stood up. "Potter. Weasley. How pleasant to meet you here. You weren't listening in us perchance, were you?" The voice was dripping with venom.  
  
Harry stared at the grindylow in shock. "Malfoy?" he asked. "Is that you? Why are you dressed as a grindylow?"  
  
  
  
Does anyone remember who the grindylow is? 


	3. The Tasks

Note: Blaise Zabini is a girl in my story because Blaise sounds like a girl's name. A lot of people refer to her/him as Zabini Blaise, but in Book 1, Professor M called out "Zabini, Blaise", and it was last name first, so her/his name is actually Blaise Zabini. Draco sometimes refers to her Zabini in my story, though, because he's the time to call people only by their last names.  
  
Hermione closed her eyes. This presented a dilemma. Her two best friends had just stumbled upon a top-secret meeting, where they had just identified one of the four Pre-Aurors. They were all using spells to disguise their voice, but apparently, Harry and Ron recognized Malfoy's sardonic sarcasm, usually only used upon those two. Of course. Draco. Dragon. The Black Dragon.  
  
Finally, she spoke, keeping her voice even and controlled, making sure not to let a hint of anything escape. This truly tested her abilities because she had never been very good at disguising her emotions, and these two were her best friends, always having been able to detect her problems and worries. "You must be mistaken," she said calmly. "This is Ferdinand Walters," she said coolly. Of course, there was no such person as Ferdinand Walters.  
  
"Really?" Harry asked. "Then why does he sound like a Malfoy wannabe?"  
  
The Lone Unicorn rescued them this time. "We're all Fourth Year Slytherins. Who wouldn't want to be Malfoy? All that wealth. All that luck."  
  
"And he's cute, too," the Fairy Elf perked her voice to a dreamy sigh, efficiently providing herself with a disguise only a professional could poke through.  
  
Harry and Ron remained unconvinced. They kept on staring at the Black Dragon.  
  
The Black Dragon managed to cheer up his tone slightly more, though it still had a cool overcast. "We are holding a private Slytherin-only conversation here. A Fourth Year Slytherin only conversation. Will you please leave us in peace?"  
  
Harry and Ron left, casting suspicious glances over their shoulders.  
  
"They are unconvinced," the Fairy Elf stated blandly. "And we are indubitably ruined."  
  
"Don't be melodramatic," Hermione said, trying not to snap irritably. "They don't believe us, but even their wildest imaginations could not give us away."  
  
The Lone Unicorn spoke in her aloof style. Her eyes were watching the Black Dragon. "I advise that we keep a low profile from herein, trying to restrain ourselves so as not express our prejudices when in form."  
  
The Black Dragon scowled, looking comical in his grindylow costume. "I was trying," he protested. "Anyways," he continued. "On to business."  
  
"I agree," the Fairy Elf nodded. "Business, it is. Where were we before they interrupted us?"  
  
Hermione spoke up. "We were discussing the efficiency of wandless magic."  
  
"Yes," the Lone Unicorn began. "Unfortunately, it seems that the only spells that can be effectively done without wands are those similar to abilities Muggles know of."  
  
"Pardon?" the Fairy Elf asked, lost.  
  
"Teleportation, telekinesis, telepathy, etc," the Lone Unicorn explained. "Those smaller abilities that Muggles write all sorts of fiction about."  
  
"So what can we do, basically?" Hermione asked, pulling a pad and pencil out of thin air.  
  
"Teleportation, telekinesis, telepathy," the Fairy Elf listed.  
  
"Some people can do empathy," the Black Dragon said. "But not all. I don't think that's magic, I think it's more like an ability or an affinity that can be developed without the use of wands."  
  
"And certain people can do things others can't," the Lone Unicorn said.  
  
"Nicholas Flamel," Hermione started, surprised, at the name, "had his own belief about wandless magic," the Fairy Elf reminded. "He believed that each wizard and witch had magic, but the outlets were different. Wands were developed as a medium that all wizards and witches could use, but even wands are unique. He believed that each person could develop these powers with time."  
  
"So," the Black Dragon concluded. "Common wandless magic is useful, but the specifics are a waste of time unless you have a really rare talent."  
  
"That's not very helpful," Hermione sighed.  
  
"You can use it to get around all wards, etc," the Lone Unicorn reminded. "If there is ward to keep out those with ill intent, you can just telepath that you have good intent, even if you don't. There are also subtle nuances in almost every type of ward, so you could probably get around most of them."  
  
"So," Hermione finished. "Wandless magic is good for getting around wards and for when you're in a sticky situation. Learning it is useful, but not necessarily necessary."  
  
Three nods met her proclamation.  
  
"All right," the Fairy Elf said. "We've finished with that assignment. Although it was fun, I'm looking forward to something else." She reached for the envelope that appeared in the middle of the table as soon as Hermione sealed up the report and sent it to Professor Dumbledore with a wave of her wand and a familiar incantation.  
  
As she opened it, all eyes were centered on her. When she finished reading up, she looked up with a calm face, and passed it over to the Lone Unicorn. The Lone Unicorn's face was just as controlled, if a bit terse when she handed it over to the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon's face was pale white, but his expression had not changed by the time he finished reading the letter, and handed it to Hermione.  
  
Your next assignment is to investigate where the loyalties of four people lie. We are concerned about a Percy Weasley (contact Ronald, Virginia, Fred, or George Weasley), a Blaise Zabini (Slytherin), a Philip Patil (contact Padma or Parvati Patil), and a Lucas Whittaker (Hufflepuff).  
  
There was a silence. Hermione was shocked. Percy. She wouldn't know anything about the Weasley family, but why was Percy suspected? And of what? Blaise Zabini was a Slytherin, and ashamed as she was, she felt that was to be expected. A thought crossed her mind? Why did Professor Dumbledore trust Malfoy enough to request him become a Pre-Auror? And then there was Philip. Assumedly, Philip was either Padma or Parvati's sibling or father. She didn't know Parvati very well, but she assumed that she and her entire family were loyal to Professor Dumbledore. And Lucas Whittaker. She had never met him, but she heard that he had been very devoted to Cedric. Who knew?  
  
Finally, the Black Dragon spoke. "I'll make sure about Zabini."  
  
There was no need to ask why.  
  
"I . I knew Philip," the Lone Unicorn said. "I'll ask his sisters. I know them pretty well."  
  
The Fairy Elf was hesitant. "I'll speak to Lucas. He's a Hufflepuff prefect."  
  
Hermione realized the task before her. She had to talk to Ron. She took a deep breath. "And I'll speak to Ron." Too late she realized that she had revealed that she knew Ron well enough to call him "Ron."  
  
"Well, then," the Black Dragon finally said. "This meeting is adjourned." He stood up, nodded at the others, and left.  
  
After the appropriate couple of minutes, the Fairy Elf stood. "I guess it's good-bye for now," she smiled, and she whisked off into the crowd.  
  
The Lone Unicorn and Hermione were silent, though they kept up a pretense of speaking. Hermione shook herself out of her reverie. "Incendio," she murmured, and burned the letter. She watched the flames silently. Finally, both stood up, shook hands, and departed in opposite directions, vanishing in the shadows.  
  
~*~  
  
"If that wasn't Malfoy, then I don't have a scar on my forehead," Harry snorted to Ron. Ron nodded. "But why did they lie?"  
  
~*~  
  
Hermione smoothed her bushy hair. How in the world was she supposed to talk to Ron when they were obviously fuming mad at her? And she wasn't going to be the one to apologize. She looked in the mirror. Who was she kidding? She was tired of being alone, and she missed her friends.  
  
Well, it was now or never. She walked down the staircases that led to the Common Room. She saw Ron and Harry playing chess, almost ignoring her. She gulped. She should swallow her pride and go apologize for the sake of the Pre-Aurors, but she couldn't. She turned to sit on the couches, and saw Ginny. Inspiration struck her.  
  
"Hey, Ginny," she smiled, sitting down next to the red-haired girl. Who said she needed Ron? She just needed to ask ~a~ Weasley.  
  
"Hey, Hermione," Ginny said brightly. "Long time no see."  
  
Hermione fidgeted. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's just that ."  
  
"I know," Ginny smiled. "Harry and Ron are your best friends and they ditched you. My brother can be such a git sometimes. But you mustn't forget that you have other friends."  
  
"How could I?" Hermione asked, smiling. "Oh, god," she groaned. "I have no source of current news other than the Daily Prophet, and you and I both know that it's just a piece of propaganda."  
  
"You want to know what's going on?" Ginny asked. Hermione nodded. "Well, as far as I know, Professor Dumbledore is trying to get people to hear him. People trust Professor Dumbledore a lot, but Fudge (the moron) is forbidding such talk, and calling it 'treasonous.' He's completely eating out of Lucius Malfoy's hand."  
  
Hermione grimaced. Casually, as if changing the subject, she asked, "So, how's your family?"  
  
Ginny's face darkened. "Well, Mum and Dad are fine," she said. "Mum's still mad at Ron about something. I don't know what. It's probably another one of those things no one will talk to me about because I'm too young," Ginny added glumly. "Everything I know is from eavesdropping. I guess Fred and George are rubbing off on me. Anyways, Bill and Charlie are thinking of quitting their jobs full-time to help Professor Dumbledore."  
  
"What about Percy?" Hermione inquired gently. To her, the glaring omission was obvious.  
  
Ginny sighed. "After the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Mum and Dad went home, and gathered Bill, Charlie, and Percy. They were told about the situation we were in. Fred and George and I were listening in with an Eavesdropping Charm. Fred and George were really shocked. So was I, at that. But we heard Percy . Percy didn't believe them. He said they were mad, and that they were going to endanger the family. He said that they shouldn't be insulting Fudge, and got mad at them. He told them that Fudge was one of the most brilliant Ministers of Magic, and was law-abiding. He yelled that they were lying, and that they would endanger his position as new Head of International Magic Cooperation. He yelled at them some more, and then told them that he was severing his ties with the family." Ginny was looking away at this point. "We haven't heard from him since, but we've heard of him. Oh yes. Percival Weasley, youngest Head of Department for who knows how many years, almost religiously loyal to the Minister of Magic, law-abiding citizen who is taking his free time off so he can hunt those treasonous to the Minister of Magic, who believe that You-Know-Who has come. Oh, yes, we've heard of him. Those are all rumors, of course. Percy may hate us, but he would never hunt us down. No. Percy . I don't know what he's doing. None of us do."  
  
Hermione patted Ginny sympathetically, while she sobbed. Inwardly, she sighed. This was all information Professor Dumbledore probably knew, already. No, she would have to take steps if she needed to find out really useful information.  
  
~*~  
  
Draco's eyes surveyed the room nonchalantly. His eyes fell on a Slytherin girl with jet-black hair and pale white skin that contrasted each other. Her melancholy brown eyes were sharp, sly, and caught every detail. Blaise Zabini was a loner even among the Slytherins, and while she wasn't wealthy, she was admired for her knowledge of the Dark Arts.  
  
He dismissed Crabbe and Goyle, and slid down next to her. "Hello, Zabini," he said smoothly.  
  
Blaise looked up. "What do you want, Draco?" Her voice was cool, but enough cold enough to be insulting. She wasn't that stupid.  
  
"Very few people are allowed to call me Draco," Draco smiled. "Be glad you're one of them. In return, though, I shall call you Blaise." He casually pronounced it as if she were inferior to him, and watched her reaction.  
  
"I feel so honored," Blaise said dryly, but her eyes were sharp, watching Draco's constantly.  
  
"I hear you wish to be Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch Team, Blaise" Draco said slyly.  
  
Blaise's eyes narrowed worriedly. "I did have that ambition for some time," she said in an even voice, "but you seem to have taken the position."  
  
"I was thinking of dropping out," Draco's voice dripped with promise, "and I could put in a word for you with Flint."  
  
"I would only have two years of Quidditch," Blaise said faintly.  
  
"Two years is plenty, eh?" Draco said smoothly.  
  
"Seeker," Blaise whispered reverently. She had wanted to play Quidditch for as long as remembered, but Slytherins didn't allow girls on their teams. She raised her eyes. "But-"  
  
"I'm sure Flint wouldn't mind having a girl as pretty as you on his team," Draco whispered. "If only to distract the other team."  
  
"And what do you want in return?" Blaise asked.  
  
"Not much," Draco shrugged. "A . friend of mine needs help and I need to learn more of the Dark Arts to help this . friend. You would, of course, probably have to pretend to be my girlfriend or good friend so no one else would suspect. This . person I am helping would not like it if others knew because he . is not on good terms with a lot of people," Draco deliberately left the speech vague, knowing that as a Slytherin, she would think she knew what he was talking about immediately.  
  
"No," Blaise hissed vehemently. "I will never support the Dark Lord in any way!" She almost stomped off, pausing to glare venomously at him just before she left the Great Hall.  
  
Draco nodded. She was probably against the Dark Lord, then, but one never could tell. She could be putting on an act, or she may have decided to want to bargain with him before teaching him. Although it wasn't probable she was in league with You-Know-Who, it was still possible, and she ~could~ support him underneath that cool I-hate-Voldemort mask. There was more work to be done.  
  
~*~  
  
Cho was chatting with Parvati and Padma. She was good friends of theirs, having dated their brother once. Philip had been sweet, but he hadn't been the guy for her. She had become good friends with his sisters anyways. Parvati and Padma were chatty, but they were very caring (although Parvati could be extremely gullible sometimes.)  
  
"Isn't that enough Butterbeers?" Cho finally asked pointedly.  
  
Blushing, Parvati and Padma stopped reaching for another, and put their hands in their laps.  
  
"So anyways, how's the family?" Cho asked casually.  
  
"All right," Padma shrugged. "Okay," Parvati nodded.  
  
Their expressions said otherwise.  
  
"And how is Philip?" Cho asked. "Still heartbroken over me?" she teased lightly.  
  
There was a silence before Padma spoke. "Oh, Philip looks the same."  
  
"But his aura is different," Parvati said sagely.  
  
Padma whacked her twin on the head. "You don't actually believe that stuff, do you?"  
  
"You believed Ron's lies about fighting those merpeople last year," Parvati pointed out.  
  
"I was pretending to," Padma said, glaring at her sister. "There are certain things you ought to do. Besides, he looked cuter when he was being saved, and he was a celebrity."  
  
"Well, humph," Parvati folded her arms.  
  
"His aura's different?" Cho asked, raising an eyebrow. Thus did she subtly manipulate the conversation back to Philip.  
  
"Well," Padma said. "You could say that. I mean, he looks the same, and he acts pretty much the same-"  
  
"But he's different," Parvati finished. "It's like his Gryffindor soul got sucked away, and replaced with a Slytherin soul."  
  
"A Slytherin soul?" Cho asked pointedly.  
  
"It shows in little ways," Padma fidgeted. "For instance, he doesn't treat Circe as kindly as he used to."  
  
"And though he acts normal, you can tell that he's really getting tired of mum and dad ragging him," Parvati said uncomfortably.  
  
"And there was that one night," Padma shot her sister a look.  
  
"We were going to ask him a question," Parvati began, but here eyes were wide as she remembered.  
  
"And we heard him talking to someone. Naturally, we wondered who."  
  
"And we didn't hear much, but we did hear him talk about You-Know-Who coming back."  
  
"And maybe something about supporting it."  
  
"Maybe?" Cho asked.  
  
"But then he slammed open the door," Padma said softly.  
  
"And told us that if we ever told anyone, he'd hunt us down and kill us," Parvati whispered.  
  
"It looked like he was going to do Obliviate," Padma said. "He's just not the same person anymore."  
  
"Philip has changed. And not for the better."  
  
"I'm sorry," Cho whispered. "But what must be done must be done. Obliviate."  
  
When Parvati and Padma regained their senses, they were still somewhat disoriented. "What were we talking about?" Padma asked.  
  
"You were saying something about how Butterbeer is healthy," Cho said, bringing up a topic they had discussed earlier.  
  
"Yes," Parvati said. "Like I was saying, I read this issue in Witch Weekly the other day with a killer article on how Muggle makeup works much better than wizard makeup, and it was really interesting, and it had an article on how Butterbeer is good for you because it ."  
  
~*~  
  
Hannah Abbott looked into the mirror. She knew she looked like the perfect figure of innocence. Plump with rosy cheeks and a bright smile, she was the antithesis of her other identity, the Fairy Elf. Yet somehow, it fit.  
  
Well, she had to find out what she could about Lucas Whittaker. Lucas Whittaker. Oh, she knew him all right. Lucas Whittaker was Sixth Year Prefect . and he was her boyfriend. How in the world was she going to find out whether her boyfriend was a Death Eater, a Dumbledore supporter, a Fudge supporter, or a clueless person? She was biased. What if she accidentally misinterpreted information? Oh, this was harder than it looked.  
  
"Hannah, Luke wants to know if you're ready yet," Susan Bones said, eyes twinkling.  
  
"Oh, tell him not to hurry me," Hannah snapped. "I need to do what I need to do."  
  
"Hannah says be patient!" Susan yelled down up the Hufflepuff stairs that led to the Common Room.  
  
"Honestly," Hannah shook her head. She took a deep breath, and deliberately began walking up the stairs slowly. Finally, she came eye-to- eye with Lucas.  
  
"What took you so long?" Luke asked, running his hand through his golden-brown hair. "I was waiting forever."  
  
Hannah glared at Luke. "Are you telling me that I shouldn't take time to make sure I look okay before going to Hogsmeade with you?"  
  
Luke put up his hands. "Of course not. Of course not."  
  
"Good," Hannah nodded. She debated her next move, and finally decided. She deliberately led Luke past Cedric's tribute room. When Cedric died last year, the Hufflepuffs had created a small room, an almost- shrine to him that was to stay there for a year and a day. It was to honor him. Luke, who had always wordlessly adored Cedric, stopped to step into the room every time he passed it. This time, Hannah stepped in with him.  
  
Luke looked at the moving pictures of a waving Cedric, and finally looked away. "D*mn Potter," he growled in a low voice.  
  
Hannah's stomach sunk as she disappeared and the Fairy Elf appeared. She began to probe gently. "What do you mean? Didn't Harry risk his life to bring Cedric's body back?"  
  
She was astonished at his harsh tone. "Do you actually believe that junk Dumbledore fed you? You-Know-Who back? As if. No, Dumbledore's playing favorites, and this time, Cedric lost his life because of it."  
  
Hannah put on her shocked face. "You can't be serious! Professor Dumbledore is the best thing this school has ever seen!"  
  
"No," Lucas snorted. "Only the gullible people actually think that You-Know-Who is back. Everyone knows that Potter was the Heir of Slytherin, and he's obviously insane as well."  
  
"No," Hannah shook her head, breaking out of character. "You must be kidding."  
  
"No," Lucas said. "I'm not. There's even a youth group out to avenge Cedric. The CDDR. Cedric Diggory Demands Revenge. And the leader of the group is the esteemed Tom Riddle. He's told us all about the lies the Ministry as well as Dumbledore have been spreading. No, Potter will pay for what he has done."  
  
Having a hunch, Hannah withdrew her wand and pointed it at Luke. "Finite Incantatem."  
  
Immediately, the glassy-eyed look on Luke's face disappeared. "What?" he asked.  
  
"Obliviate," she whispered. When Luke's face grew disoriented, she smiled. "Luke, its time to go to Hogsmeade."  
  
Luke shook his head clear, and smiled. "Come on then, Hannah. The Three Broomsticks is waiting."  
  
Meanwhile, Hannah's head was racing. The Confundus Charm. Lord Voldemort heading a faction of Hogwarts students whose aim was to kill Harry. Oh no.  
  
To be continued . 


	4. The Plan of Attack

The next chapter's up!  
  
Hannah accompanied Luke to Hogsmeade, and made small talk. Her insides churned the entire time, and even Luke noticed her inattention. She explained that she was feeling a bit queasy. He was, of course, properly concerned. Finally, he stopped by the Quidditch store while she stopped by the bookstore. Hiding herself behind a stack of books, she raised her wand and performed the spell that would tell the others that she had completed her mission and that she had received urgent information. Then, with a quickness that belied much practice, she began tapping them the message in their own Pre-Aurors' Code.  
  
-Fairy Elf. Lucas Whittaker Confunded. Group of CDDR, Cedric Diggory Demands Revenge. Lucas Whittaker de-Confunded, and aim of group to kill Harry Potter. Meeting. West Tower, Owlery, eleven tonight. End-  
  
Hannah sighed, before buying a book and leaving to meet up with Luke again.  
  
---  
  
Hermione Granger paused her conversation with Ginny as she felt her beeper spread through her wand and warn her that someone had found information. Subtly, her hand went to her wand, and she muttered the words to make it save the information for later. Then, she continued the conversation.  
  
---  
  
Malfoy looked in disgust at Crabbe and Goyle. There was a time, once, when he enjoyed their stupidity and fooling them, when he would have given anything to please his father. But Professor Snape had shown him how truly worthless his father was. Professor Snape had alerted him to the dangers of the Dark Side and the benefit of "good." And Malfoy had slowly come to realize that he was the only one that could control his life.  
  
He sipped his warm of mug of Butterbeer, as his wand alerted him. He curtly ordered Crabbe and Goyle to leave, knowing that they wouldn't be able to remember it later, much less think of it as unusual. With a few muttered words, the wand began whispering words to his ear.  
  
-Fairy Elf. Lucas Whittaker Confunded. Group of CDDR, Cedric Diggory Demands Revenge. Lucas Whittaker de-Confunded, and aim of group to kill Harry Potter. Meeting. West Tower, Owlery, eleven tonight. End-  
  
Draco nodded. Midnight at the Owlery. That was fine.  
  
---  
  
Cho Chang chatted inattentively with some of her friends. As they walked through Hogsmeade, stopping by some of the more interesting stores, Cho suddenly felt the tingling that signified a call from a fellow Pre- Auror. Pleading a stomachache, she escaped to the nearest restroom, and muttered the words. Immediately, her wand began transferring words to her ears.  
  
-Fairy Elf. Lucas Whittaker Confunded. Group of CDDR, Cedric Diggory Demands Revenge. Lucas Whittaker de-Confunded, and aim of group to kill Harry Potter. Meeting. West Tower, Owlery, eleven tonight. End-  
  
Cho's mind immediately raced with all sorts of thoughts. How would she get out without waking her roommates? How would she evade getting caught? Would she have to use her Goldpass? How important was the danger? But her mind raced to a halt as she gathered her calm. She could use the Goldpass if need be, and it her friends were mostly not light sleepers. She wasn't very used to the Invisibility Cloak yet, although it was obviously the only choice.  
  
Breathing and counting to ten, she turned to face her friends again.  
  
---  
  
Hermione finished her conversation with Ginny and they split up. Humming to herself, Hermione casually muttered a few words, and the message drifted up from her wand.  
  
-Fairy Elf. Lucas Whittaker Confunded. Group of CDDR, Cedric Diggory Demands Revenge. Lucas Whittaker de-Confunded, and aim of group to kill Harry Potter. Meeting. West Tower, Owlery, eleven tonight. End-  
  
Hermione kept a normal expression on her face as she made her way through Hogsmeade back towards Hogwarts.  
  
---  
  
The night was silent. Even the normal hoot of the owl was absent, for the owls sensed the irregularity in the air, and fluffed their wings nervously. There was no sound whatsoever, but for the silent swish of the wind. A silent padding of feet was heard, but no one was to be seen. Suddenly, there was a swish, and hissed, "Reveal yourself."  
  
A disembodied head appeared in thin air. The head had a glamour cast upon it, so the face appeared that to be one of a unicorn, with a single horn emerging from the forehead. Another disembodied head appeared. This one was one of a minute fairy with elven ears. "You should have used a Muffling Charm."  
  
"Temporary Displacement," the Lone Unicorn said.  
  
The Temporary Displacement Charm was a prank all Hogwarts students played on at least one person at one point in their life. It temporarily disoriented a person for a while. It lasted for five minutes at most, but was great for disorienting a person long enough to steal their wand or any number of things. It wasn't a very complicated charm to conjure up, but it was very complex in nature.  
  
In nature, what happens is that the caster calls, "Tempus Fugit." Time Flies. Well, what literally happens for castee, is he/she is almost Petrified for five minutes. Then, they come back to life, and it is as if the spell had just been cast upon him/her. The spell leaves a person very disoriented and woozy, and he/she'll have to revive him/herself slowly. It's against school rules to cast it on someone, but by the time someone has recovered from it, the person is usually too embarrassed to admit that it was cast on him/her. Besides, the caster is usually just as, if not more, disoriented as the castee.  
  
Another head appeared. This one had the glamour of a phoenix head on it. "Where's the Black Dragon?"  
  
There was a silent swish, before a final head appeared, and a glamour of the Black Dragon's head appeared.  
  
They didn't all own Invisibility Cloaks, of course. That would be too expensive. Hermione was "borrowing" Harry's cloak. (How she managed to steal it out from under his nose, no one knows.) Cho was utilizing an Invisibility Amulet, which were more common, but less reliable because of their tendency to run out of magic in the middle of an important prank. Hannah had cast an Invisibility Charm on herself, and Extra-Strength-ed it. Invisibility Charms were easy to render useless, but lasted longer and were more powerful when combined with an Extra Strength Potion, which was hard to obtain. Draco had his own Invisibility Cloak, bought from the finest Weaver by his great-great-great-great-grandfather ages ago.  
  
"All right," the Fairy Elf assumed control of the meeting, as she was the one who had called it to order. She related the events that had taken place, leaving out specific details that would reveal her identity, making it sound as if she and Lucas Whittaker were just friends. If they knew she was going out with him, it would be moments before her identity would be revealed. She explained that she had gone around trying to gather more information afterwards. "From what I obliquely found out, there should be a meeting tonight, at midnight."  
  
"In forty-five minutes," the Black Dragon noted.  
  
"Some will be arriving over half and hour early," the Fairy Elf continued, "for 'setting up', they sad. Whatever that means. I think CDDR will consist mostly of Hufflepuffs, because Tom Riddle didn't want to risk everything on Inter-House Rivalry. I performed a series of charms on my parchment a couple of months ago. Do you remember? That weird combination. I'm still trying to figure that one out. Anyways, the parchment said it had something to do with 'loyalty stronger than rivalry'. I didn't particularly understand it, and I'm not even sure it's correct, as the parchment seems mostly to work by Divination and a little bit of Arithmancy, but I thought that would be useful information."  
  
"There will, of course, be passwords and charms we will have to overcome," the Lone Unicorn said matter-of-factly. "We will have to overcome them."  
  
"Dumbledore?" the Flaming Phoenix required, not needing to continue the words that formed her question.  
  
"He knows," the Fairy Elf confirmed. "He will have one or two Mystic Members on the scene, but he believes they will be unable to get through the wards, which seem to be able to detect fully-grown wizards, however, seem to be unable to detect underage wizards and witches."  
  
"He knows this because-" the Black Dragon waited expectantly for an answer. He did not mean to doubt Dumbledore's words; he merely wanted to know how Dumbledore had obtained his information, and whether they could attempt to ease their mission by doing some of the same.  
  
"Headmaster Magic," the Fairy Elf said simply. Everyone knew that Hogwarts had become almost sentient over the years of soaking in spare magic. The Headmaster was an important defense mechanism of the castle, able to sense every time magic was performed on its grounds that was potentially dangerous to the school. Thus, at his disposal, Professor Dumbledore had a mighty tool if ever Lord Voldemort decided to invade Hogwarts, but his omniscience and omnipotence reached the end of the Hogwarts grounds. He was intuitive, perceptive, and skilled in all sorts of magic, but he did not know everything, and thus, was not as powerful once off Hogwarts grounds.  
  
"All right," the Lone Unicorn got down to business. "Do we have a plan?"  
  
"We sneak in and storm the place," the Flaming Phoenix said wryly.  
  
"We probably have to wait until this Tom Riddle shows up," the Fairy Elf noted, "if we truly want to know who is behind it all."  
  
"And we must get rid of the Confundus charms," the Black Dragon reminded.  
  
"So that's what we'll do," the Lone Unicorn decided.  
  
The other three nodded in confirmation.  
  
So they donned their respective Invisibility Amulets, Invisibility Cloaks, and Invisibility Charms and prepared for their first important mission.  
  
To be continued .  
  
P.S. Thought I would explain something. Earlier on, when Hermione becomes the "Reserve Everything" for the Quidditch team; that was a minor mission. She was supposed to keep an eye and Harry, and make sure nobody pulls a Quirrell or a Dobby. (As in nobody tries to hex him off his broom or send enchanted Bludgers after him.) 


	5. And Then There Were Two

It's up! P.S. The Exaudio Charm comes from the people who wrote the stories about Maud Moody ......... I forgot the title of the fanfiction as well as the name of the authors .........sorry! But they're really good. I think it's called the Darkness and Light trilogy .........  
  
Four silent, unseen figures made their invisible way across school grounds until they encountered an invisible barrier. It was an electric barrier, and would have sizzled them had they not been expecting it, and sent a golem out in front of them. The golem was well-made for a couple of Fifth- Years, even working together and as advanced as they were. Created out of spare bits of mud and twigs, they had enchanted it so it was sentient with a complicated Transfiguration and Charm that would last for only a couple of hours. They had given it somewhat human features so that it could walk ahead of them, and it looked small and impressive, but it had its imperfections. Occasionally, it would freeze in a certain position and begin to shake. It would do this for a couple of minutes before continuing like normal. At first, they thought it was falling apart, or that it had encountered the barrier. But when it continued moving, they deduced that it was only because they were inexperienced at creating golems.  
  
When the golem suddenly shirveled up and turned into a pile of ashes, the ladies of the group (all three of them) could barely suppress their gasps and startled cries.  
  
"Ssh," hissed the Black Dragon. "Shut up!"  
  
"Why don't you?" retorted the Fairy Elf coolly as she removed her Invisibility Charm. At the same time, she pulled her hood tighter over her head. She appeared to be a normal Hufflepuff student, clothed in a dark yellow and black robe with the hood pulled over her head. She stepped into the shadows, amazingly inconspicious in her Hufflepuff garb.  
  
Soon, from the distance, figures appeared.  
  
The Fairy Elf calmly performed an Exaudio with the other three, and stepped out. She lowered her voice, making it quaver. "I heard that some people were to meet here. I heard someone talking about it and it sounded interesting .........Am I welcome?" She made sure that they could see her tremble with fear. Seeing fear in others boosted a person's confidence and induced recklessness.  
  
One of the figures stepped forward. The dark blue hood fell back to reveal the face of a pretty Ravenclaw prefect who was one of Cho Chang's closer friends. "Did you know Cedric well?"  
  
The Fairy Elf blushed almost naturally. "That depends on what you mean by know," she said, stuttering magnificently. "I had a small, well, I fancied him for a while. And I admired him. And i respected him." She allowed a feral look to come into her eyes. "And I want to avenge his death." Her voice became firmer at that last statement even as she inwardly winced at the obvious melodrama of the situation. But this was no drama. One wrong move, and she could ruin it.  
  
"Do we trust her?" a mocking voice came from the shadows. A green and silver robe. A Slytherin. Of course. Slytherins would be here because they might recognize the truth. Hufflepuffs because they were easily fooled and because they had been close to Cedric. And Ravenclaw because of the mutual sympathy for Cho. There was no doubt a couple of envious, spiteful Gryffindors thrown into the mix as well. But any of those had to be really good actors or really seculded, else some of the more fanatic of the Harry Potter fans would have weeded them out and declared them traitor by now.  
  
"I don't see why not," the Ravenclaw responded. "Just because you don't like Hufflepuffs, Antony, doesn't mean they're bad. You're biased." Her tone was teasing and gentle.  
  
The two were obviously a couple. Dating. Inter-House couples were rare, with the intense Inter-House rivalry. Slytherins were espeically touchy about one of their number dating one of the other Houses. A Slytherin- Ravenclaw relationship was tolerated usually if the Ravenclaw was a pureblood of good heritage, who was clever and ambitious. Slytherin- Hufflepuffs were scorned unless the Hufflepuff was a Harditer, and the most recent of the Harditers had graduated some years ago. Harditers were a old family, older than the Malfoy family or the Marvolo family, both ancient ones. Harditers were rumored to descend from Helga Hufflepuff herself, and they were a hard lot. They were the typical Slytherin underneath a Hufflepuff shell, only in Hufflepuff because each generation requested it from the Sorting Hat. Slytherin-Hufflepuff relationships were rare and did not last long. Slytherin-Gryffindors were impossible to find. Any such couple that existed hid their relationship completely. And if any Slytherin ended up marrying a Gryffindor later in life, both were exiled from society, both the upper-class Slythering society and the middle-class Gryffindor Auror society. Stereotypes could never label a person, but each House seemed intent on fulfilling its stereotype to the letter.  
  
As of now, the only Slytherin-Ravenclaw couple was a Melanie Reich and Antony Marvolo. Both model students. Both so easily lured into Voldemort's trap. But were they lured? Or had they chosen of their own accord? It remained to be seen.  
  
"Are you listening?" Antony's harsh voice demanded.  
  
The Fairy Elf snapped out of her reverie. "Huh? What?"  
  
"I asked what your name was," Antony said impatiently.  
  
The Fairy Elf didn't bat an eyelash. "Susan Bones." Susan, as a matter fact, was sleeping soundly on her bed, a fact she had made sure of. It had only taken a mild sleeping draught, in case Susan was one of these.  
  
Melanie eyed her carefully. "All right," she finally said. "The password is Diggory."  
  
Even as she spoke, a visible door appeared. Melanie and Antony entered without batting an eyelash. The Fairy Elf only hesitated a moment before following, three invisible figures trooping in after her.  
  
Hannah was silent as she entered the door. She could feel some sort of filter sifting through her thoughts. But those Wandless Magic courses had not been for nothing. A simple block and nothing was revealed.  
  
Yet she had the horrible feeling that she was no longer a Pre-Auror. That she had been somehow stripped of her title. All that was left was plain Hannah. Just Hannah to face the legions of You-Know-Who. A pleasant thought indeed.  
  
Yet she could not fob off the uneasy feeling that something was wrong. "Hello," she muttered under her breath, checking the Exaudio Charm. "Hello? Anyone there?"  
  
No answer. Nothing at all.  
  
A sinking feeling entered her heart. That filter. It couldn't have filtered away the charm, could it? Anything was possible. But now she was left without being able to contact her friends. Not friends. Co-workers, more like. But not friends.  
  
She only hoped they were all right.  
  
She made herself part of the crowd, an amazingly large crowd. Melanie and Antony had disappeared. She had expected them to. They would not want to spend their time showing a newbie around. If they had wanted to, she would have been suspicious.  
  
She milled about the crowd, waiting for the moment to take action. Her wand would not cast spells. She was helpless. Her single consolation was the fact that the others would be protected. Cho's Invisibility Amulet was bespelled. And Invisibility Cloaks had natural Charms in them against such filtrations. They should be safe.  
  
But right now that did not matter. It would matter in the long run. But not now. She slowly milled her way to the front of crowd. And she watched as a young man walked on stage. Onto the makeshift stage. Who was he? Truly Voldemort? A minion? A fake?  
  
"I see that our crowd enlarges," the man spoke. He had a smooth, soothing voice. Perfect for oration. Persuasive and hypnotizing, she barely prevented herself from falling under its lure. But she recognized it. And defended herself against it.  
  
Her heart sank as the man's eyes caught hers. He knew that she was resisting. He smirked.  
  
"Some of us seem to not agree with me. They do not believe that Cedric Diggory should be avenged. They side with the evil Harry Potter. They are misguided."  
  
"Who?" the crowd seemed to echo. "Show us."  
  
Hannah shivered. Just great. This guy had most of Hogwarts under his control. Temporary, though. She could the see the strain. He would lose control of them soon. In 5 seconds. 4. 3. 2. 1. The crowd calmed down. They milled about. They were confused.  
  
He was not strong enough. And he was most definitely not Voldemort. It was either attack now while he lost control or wait until he regained control.  
  
She scrambled onto the stage. "Fraud!" she shrieked, putting the right inflection into her voice. "Liar. Tom Riddle. You are false. You speak naught but lies."  
  
She only prayed that the other Pre-Aurors would get the hint.  
  
"You are the one who speaks untruths. I speak out of integrity. And you?"  
  
"Out of justice," she said. Calmly. Assuredly. She was aware of the crowd amassing again, gathering in strength. But she was not afraid.  
  
Because the Exaudio Charm had just clicked on. The wards were gone, thanks to Dumbledore and the Order of the Mystics. She could see Members of the Order swarm in, even as she defied this man before her. The man without a wand. How foolish. To come without a wand.  
  
But the crowd was still on his side. But not for long.  
  
The Lone Unicorn stepped into the light. Her hood fell back. Her glamour disappeared. And it revealed Cho Chang. Hannah barely suppressed a gasp.  
  
"I am Cho Chang," Cho said clearly. "Last year, my love died. His name was Cedric. Hufflepuff House once promised me that I was an honorary Hufflepuff," her voice raised, ringing. "They said that they would loook after me in Cedric's stead. Noble words. But without a grain of truth in them, it seems. Will you destroy the one who returned Cedric's body to us? Will you kill Harry Potter. Will you believe this madman over me?"  
  
In Hufflepuff House, the word "Cho" was akin to "Angel". Everyone knew of her. She was Cedric's girlfriend, who after so long, still grieved for him, still mourned for him. Still remained single for him. She was the martyr. Her word was almost the law.  
  
It helped that she was pretty.  
  
Her black hair framed a heart-shaped face. Her eyes raised unto the sky. "Do you believe me when I say that this man is a fraud? And furthermore, he has placed you all under a spell!"  
  
The student body roared with furor. A few shook off the hypnotising spell, and stared, speechless. Others were caught in Cho's words. They understood and did not accept.  
  
It did not matter, for the student body had been delayed. Hannah breathed a sigh of relief as Remus Lupin took the Hypnotiser, as she had come to call him, under custody.  
  
Thier mission was over. They had been tested.  
  
That night, two people approached Headmaster Dumbledore, offering their resignation. Where there were four, now there are two. Black Dragon and Flaming Phoenix left. Would they hold out?  
  
To be continued ......... 


	6. Reasons

Hermione spent the night after her first mission going over what the events that had taken place. It had all happened so quickly, she was still a bit confused as to what exactly had taken place. The Fairy Elf had entered the shielded area, and they had followed. They had known immediately that her Exaudio Charm had been temporarily dispelled. Their Exaudio Charm was still in place, thanks to the protection of the Invisibility Amulet and the foresight of the Weavers who had Woven the Invisibility Cloaks. They had worried, and did not know what to do. The Lone Unicorn had contacted Dumbledore, and told him of the circumstances. Knowing what circumstances to expect, the Order of the Mystics had waited out, while the Preliminary Aurors infiltrated the area.  
  
And then that man had come on stage. Hermioen had been suspicious of him at first. He had seemed so ... oily. She knew, at least, that he wasn't Lord Voldemort, because before Harry and Ron had gotten mad at her, Harry had often described what he looked like, to get it off his back. He only talked after a lot of convicing every time he looked drawn and tired, though. She knew he often had nightmares, and woke up the people in his dorm with them. But at that moment, she hadn't been too overly concerned with the man. She had noticed at once that he didn't have a wand. She had known that he had something up his sleeve (all bad guys did) but she hadn't been overly worried.  
  
Until he began hypnotizing the crowd. That's definitely a bad sign. Of course, that meant that the crowd was under his control. Hermione has a very analytical mind. It is her impulse to think of all possibilities to begin with, and she usually covers them all, so she is upset when she overlooks something. So of course she was upset when she realized that she ~should~ have been overly worried. But she spent the entire time panicking instead.  
  
She didn't mean to. But she panicked. She did manage to maintain the Exaudio Charm, and she did manage to not convey her panic. She wouldn't have been able to ~bear~ it if ~Malfoy~ of all people found out that she was panicking. Of course, the Lone Unicorn had been closely observing him, and she said that the man's grip on the will of the crowd would weaken in a couple of seconds. And just as it did, and the three Pre-Aurors were about to storm the stage, they watched the Fariy Elf step on stage.  
  
She pulled her hood back, revealing the face of Hannah Abbott.  
  
Hermione did not know Hannah Abbott well. They were in the same Year, true, and in several of the same classes. She was currently going out with Lucas Whittaker, which she knew courtesy of Lavender-and-Parvati Telgraph Gossip System. But from the generalizations she heard, Hannah Abbott was a typical Hufflepuff. Roundfaced and rosy-cheeked, her blonde hair was always tied in two pigtails that stuck down her shoulders at awkward angles. She was "dunderheaded", but hardworking, doing well in Charms and Arithmancy. She had also been classified by Hermione as another bumbleheaded prep who didn't know that more serious life-or-death events were taking place around the world.  
  
Apparently, Hermione was wrong.  
  
She watched in astonishment as Hannah's voice began to rise, denouncing the man-who-hypnotized. *She's providing us with a distraction!* she sent through the link the Exaudio Charm provided her with.  
  
*Right,* came the Lone Unicorn's voice. *I'm contacting Dumbledore.* Then, *Tehy're disabling the wards, which they finally figured out, but if we don't hurry, the guy's going to have the corwd under his control again*  
  
*We need an extra distraction* the Black Dragon mused.  
  
*Under control* the Lone Unicorn said. *Just be prepared to subdue the students if they swarm on stage*  
  
Without another word, the link was cut. Before Hermione could react, a dark blue-cloaked walked out on stage. She pulled back her hood to reveal the face of a unicorn, eternally frozen in time. Then, she closed her eyes, and the glamour was gone. In its place, was the eternally mourning face of Cho Chang.  
  
*****  
  
I pushed my hood back, to reveal what I knew must be a rather heartbreaking unicorn's face. I closed my eyes, and let the glamour fall away.  
  
When the Fairy Elf had stepped onto that stage, I had know she would do something drastic. And when she had revealed her identity, if only to us, I knew what she was giving up.  
  
To reveal your identity is to lose your position. Not the first thing we were taught, but definitely not the last. And I knew that I was doing the same.  
  
Hufflepuffs have always been sentimental. I have found that each House conforms its students to fit its stereotype. A Slytherin can start school as a kind, caring person. By the end of Seventh Year, if they have not quit yet, they will have turned nasty. Hufflepuffs are sentimental because they don't conform. They disguise. They pull on a mask of dunderheadedness, and hide under its a patient personality.  
  
I knew none of this until I met Cedric. Cedric opened my eyes. People ask me why I still mourn for him. I cannot say that I lvoed him. After all. Despite everything, we're not old neough to consider love as an option. I cared much for him, and he was my boyfriend. He taught me much about books and their covers.(1) And we were close.  
  
The day he died, I was mostly in shock. I remember the whispers as two figures emerged from the maze. One was upright, but stumbling. The other was limp. And I knew with a horrible certainty that one was alive, and the other was dead. And I knew which was which. Even if the relationship I shared with Cedric was not lifelong love, it was still a strong relationship, and I was hurt.  
  
The Hufflepuffs understood this. Once my eyes had been opened, they could never again be veiled. They made me an honorary Hufflepuff. And because them, I have a sort of hold on them.  
  
Today, I would break their trust and use that hold to cruelly manipulate them. All for the side of Good, of course. The side of Light. Of course. Never for anything else. Never.  
  
I say the words I know will trigger their sense of sensibility. And I cry inside. I agreed to become a Preliminary Auror because I thought I could make a change in the world. A good change. An important change. One that would help the world now, not the world in 50 years. Amd I say these words, I find myself crumpling inside.  
  
I was not meant for this. But at least I helped.  
  
*****  
  
A week later.  
  
One was cloaked in a red and orange cloak that obscured her face. The otehr was clad in a green and black cloak that hid his face.  
  
They were at Hogwmeade, in a hidden corner. "We now have three people to investigate," the Flaming Phoenix murmured.  
  
"Blaise Zabini, Percival Weasley, and Philip Patil," the Black Dragon ticked them off. "All three unknowns, although the Lone Unicorn... Cho did make a note by his name that he seemed to have become a Death Eater, although she was doubtful, and wanted to investigate it."  
  
"All right," the Flaming Phoenix nodded. "I think he should be first on our to-do list."  
  
"We'll need a background history search done on him, and we'll need to know his current situation, who he hangs out with, and what kind of work he does. We'll also probably need to interrogate him at one point." He saw the Flaming Phoenix's wand hand raise in the air warningly, and hurriedly added, "Just kidding."  
  
"I'll take care of the background history," the Flaming Phoenix said, standing up.  
  
"And I'll take care of his current background," the Black Dragon ended.  
  
"When do we next meet?" the Flaming Phoenix asked.  
  
"The Yule Ball is coming up. Dump your date and show up during the candelabra dancing in the middle of the topiary, by the unicorn bush."  
  
"All right." The Flaming Phoenix departed without another word.  
  
Meanwhile, the Black Dragon was thinking wearily about how he was ever going to infiltrate Blaise's barriers and wards without giving himself up.  
  
*****  
  
Harry stared disconsately at the fire. He wasn't really mad at Hermione. He just wished that she would apologize. They wouldn't really have dueled. They'd probably just have gotten into a fistfight. She didn't have to go and report them anyways. And she went ahead and acted like they were tht one being gits. If she hadn't gone to so much trouble to avoid them, they'd be friends again by now.  
  
"Hey, Harry," Ron said as he finished preditcing his death by shame after being expelled by the Headmaster of school after he failed all his classes because Hermione wasn't there anymore to help him with classwork.  
  
"Writing those predictions are a waste of time if the only person who will read them is Trelawney," Harry pointed out.  
  
"Well, it feels like I'm apologizing to her," Ron shrugged. "So it eases my conscience."  
  
"How is telling her you're going to die apologizing?" Harry inquired, amused.  
  
Ron shrugged. "Dunno. Mebbe she'll feel sorry for me and be friends again."  
  
Harry almost rolled his eyes.  
  
At this point, Fred and George entered the room. They surveyed the sad glances on Harry's and Ron's faces, and shook their head with identical expressions.  
  
"Still mourning?" Fred asked.  
  
"Gits," George sighed.  
  
"If she's trying to avoid her-" Fred began.  
  
"But you're trying to find her-" George continued.  
  
"Then track her with Weasley's Handy-Dandy Witch-Tracker!" they said at the same time.  
  
Harry stared at them blankly. Ron looked at them confusedly.  
  
Fred looked at George, and sighed. "If you use this, you can track down Hermione."  
  
"How?"  
  
"With this," Fred produced.  
  
To be continued ... 


End file.
